Chapter 85

The massive body of Algul, swimming through the air with Bulrak, crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dirt that the strong winds sweeping across the wide plain quickly dispersed.

As the dust settled, what became visible was Algul, the gigantic Orcus, lying sprawled on the ground with Bulrak embedded in his sternum.

The upper body of the clothing originally made from animal hides was entirely tattered, and debris that had been tossed away from the impact with the ground lay scattered about.

From the shattered debris, a sinister aura was emanating.

As I reached out my right hand, Bulrak, lodged in Algul’s sternum, shook once, then spiraled into my hand, spewing blood around me.

Then I looked down at the prostrate Algul.

His pupils, staring blankly at the sky, held no light, and from the gaping hole where Bulrak had been pulled out, dark red blood gushed out like a freshly dug well.

Algul’s body showed no signs of breathing in that state.

Yet I did not hesitate and pointed Bulrak’s blade at Algul.

“I already know you’re not dead, so can you stop pretending?”

At my words, Algul’s body, lying like a corpse without a single twitch, moved.

“… How did you know?”

The once-dulled eyes of Bulrak returned to life as it spoke, rising and groaning in pain.

Thick, congealed blood spilled from Algul, splattering the ground.

I pointed my left index finger to its eye.

“I told you. I can see it.”

“… Huh.”

Algul’s face twisted, seemingly in disbelief.

The sight of Algul standing was lamentable.

Shallow wounds appeared everywhere from his mixed injuries.

Deep lacerations from Edolidan’s sword cut diagonally from his left shoulder down to the center of his sternum.

The savage advances of the enigmatic girl had violated him in the air.

It would be odd for someone with a normal life to survive such severe wounds.

Especially considering the blood that rose from the sternum like a well, it had indeed targeted the heart, and it was clear he had been struck there.

Even if deemed dead, it would be hard to think that he was truly in a state of relaxation.

However, examining Algul with Heart’s Eye revealed a flow similar to that of a skilled practitioner, indicating that he was certainly not dead.

“… I underestimated you. I thought you were just a beast, but you are a true predator. Only a single moment of inattention, and I’ve ended up like this. Have you really lived for less than twenty cycles?”

Algul mumbled in disbelief.

Yet I also reevaluated my estimation of Algul.

Even though he allowed the subsequent attacks after blocking the first blow, he had managed to counterattack in that fleeting moment and endured that degree of assault with his body, showcasing a robust vitality. Moreover, even in that moment, he quickly assessed the situation and feigned death to induce my moment of inattention.

Certainly, he was a being capable of surviving centuries within the turmoil of battle.

“In comparison to his years alive, even as an Einherjar, the amount of power possessed is astonishing, and the way he wields that power is alien.”

To my surprise, Algul’s wounds began to close little by little despite his words.

Yet, appearing dissatisfied with that peculiar recovery pace, shadows began to crawl over Algul’s body, fixing the wounds.

“The inflicted injuries are slow to heal… Truly peculiar. And troublesome. The ability to devour and convert my strength is strong enough to threaten my life. Is that a stroke of luck? Or is it a bad omen?”

“It will surely end in the worst scenario you can think of.”

“Ugh… We’ll see. But that power of yours and your knowledge…! Especially your mind is truly tempting!”

With Algul’s exclamation, a presence approached from behind.

Caw!

The iron cage turned into a serpent, which had been bounced off by Bulrak.

My body moved faster than expected.

Accelerated by the energy bursting from the sole of my foot, I spun like a top, cleaving through the metal serpent.

Even if the body of that serpent was made of iron, Bulrak was, after all, a sword woven from pure silver.

Moreover, unlike the hasty retrieval from before, it was a sword wielded with mastery by someone who had entered the realm of a superhuman.

The severed serpent, perhaps having its spell broken, turned into a splintered staff and fell to the ground.

“Sa-Elu-Ru-Sena!”

Accompanying that chant, Algul’s incantation followed.

Algul, grasping something as small as a grain in his hand, saw his palm transform into a thick log of wood.

A small amount of energy detached from his dantian and began to dye itself.

The energy desired was fire.

Flames erupted from the silver blade of Bulrak.

As Bulrak, armed with the powers of the Flame King, swung, fiery tendrils rose, turning to ashes and scattering.

Without warning, sharp shadows shot upwards.

It was a technique I was quite familiar with.

The shadow spear I had witnessed when I once fought Lamia.

However, it was sharper and more stealthy than what I had seen before, with no indication of its approach.

‘He wields the skill more adeptly than the succubi.’

It was only natural for him, as he had transported the Orcus across the eastern continent.

But merely admiring would get me skewered.

My feet moved chaotically.

In the rapidly moving field of vision, I could see shadows thrusting at the empty air around me.

The wings of a golden phoenix spread from my legs.

“Ugh!”

With a look of horror, blood spurted from Algul’s right arm, scattering like ash.

It wasn’t a deep wound.

It lacked strength due to the wooden cover that had been encompassing his arm.

However, as the blade cut down, it twisted back again, and his right foot stepped forward as he pressed on.

Scrape—!

The horizontally swinging sword separated Algul’s upper and lower body.

The cut surface sizzled, emitting a foul odor of burning fat.

Yet, as the severed upper half of his body fell to the ground, the sound of rock shattering echoed.

The broken upper body lay in pieces.

Surely, a living creature wouldn’t break apart like that upon hitting the ground.

As if the blood I had seen was an illusion, Algul’s body that I thought I had severed had turned to stone.

From within one of the surrounding shadows, Algul rose again.

“I truly cannot let my guard down. Each one of them is incredibly lethal.”

After joining his hands in prayer and clapping, bats began to emerge from the shadows.

Ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand.

The bats multiplied to such an extent that I couldn’t count them all with my eyes in an instant.

“They are bloodsucking bats. Created by the powers of a vampire, if even three ordinary humans cling to you, your fluids would be drained before you even blink.”

Algul said with a vague smile.

“The problem is that with this many, I can’t fully control them either. If you want an easy death, I suggest you surrender quietly.”

The bats swarmed around, threateningly flying overhead like a massive swarm of locusts.

If Algul gave the command, the blood-sucking bats hovering nearby would surely charge at me.

I slowly sheathed Bulrak.

“Oh…? Are you really planning to give up?”

I sneered at Algul, who tilted his head in apparent surprise.

“The number of filthy creatures is too great; I’m merely preparing to strike with the broadest measure of my martial arts.”

“Hmm… So you have another means, do you? … Well, I don’t mind. If you show that kind of confidence, I hope at least enough remains for me to consume.”

As Algul signaled, the surrounding bloodsucking bats all swarmed forward.

Up, down, back, forth.

A presence of bats approaching from every direction, blocking out even the light.

Simultaneously, Bulrak, drawn from its sheath, heralded a song of death that spread in all directions.

Soul-Devouring Sword’s Cry.

The sound wave released by the sword I had demonstrated before Friegoss unfolded the manifestation of its name, unlike the days when I had held mercy in my hands.

In an instant, the sound wave that spread from Bulrak burst forth, exploding the incoming bloodsucking bats.

The light hidden by the bats began to illuminate the surroundings once more.

From where I stood, as if an invisible erupting bomb had detonated, numerous bat corpses and blood spread outward in a circular pattern.

“Do you have no more moves left?”

I provocatively pointed the blade towards the now faintly shocked Algul, exuding my confidence.

◈ ◈ ◈

A tremendous sound burst forth, and the ground trembled.

The aftermath of the battle had turned the plain upside down in various places.

The totemic structures that had risen by Algul’s magic lay all cut up and scattered about.

The expression on Algul’s face, which had initially seemed relaxed like a hunter spotting a wounded deer, had solidified.

Having spent over an hour, Algul had not only failed to secure an advantage but had not even escaped a disadvantage.

‘… Truly, he is a monster.’

Algul thought as he observed a towering spirit wolf, larger than himself, charging at him, cleaved in two.

The power of the young Einherjar, known as Araya, was beyond imagination.

To think that such a being could emerge in less than twenty cycles of time?

It was no joke.

Despite being armed with various magical artifacts and possessing some power from two Elder Roa, having survived for hundreds of years in combat, to be pushed back so unilaterally was outrageous.

For Algul, who had intended to devour the inexperienced Einherjar and acquire her power, it was entirely baffling.

Rather, if things continued like this, he might end up being killed by this young Einherjar, whom he had thought of as prey.

‘… But…’

As he clashed with Araya, Algul sensed a distortion within her soul.

He did not know exactly what it was.

It was a distortion too unstable compared to that flesh.

And it was alien, as if it were a soul from another world.

As a shaman, Algul instinctively realized.

That this was the weakness of that monster.

He secretly began to prepare magic.

The powers of dreams and the subconscious touched upon by the strength of Ul Kanadiel, the skill of controlling the souls he had gathered as a shaman, and the magical artifacts he was unable to utilize, scattered over the battlefield from the initial skirmish.

He weaved them all together into a single spell.

And as Araya’s sword approached him once more, now battered and broken, Algul deliberately accepted the blow.

At that moment, shadows surged forth, and Algul unleashed the spell he had woven towards Araya.

In that instant, Araya attempted to abandon her sword and flee, but in what she thought was the end, she could not evade the wave of shadows descending from all directions.

The consciousness of Araya and Algul began to sink.

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